


Baby Steps

by giantpanda



Series: Next Steps [2]
Category: The Good Doctor (TV 2017)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:16:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26896555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/giantpanda/pseuds/giantpanda
Summary: A collection of moments in the next phase of Neil and Claire's relationship after they got married.
Relationships: Claire Browne/Neil Melendez
Series: Next Steps [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1962394
Comments: 60
Kudos: 62





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> This is a continuation of the story "The Road to You." Each chapter with show a different part their lives together. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for reading!!

Neil had been away for a work conference for a week. He hated when he needed to be separated from Claire. It had been especially difficult this time because when he left, she hadn’t been feeling well. He almost canceled going to the conference, but she insisted that he go since he was supposed to be speaking at some of the panels. He worried about her because she tended to push through any illness instead of taking the time to take care of herself. Even though he knew he would drive her crazy, at least if he had been there, he would know she was resting.

It had been six months since they had gotten married, which he still thought of as one of the happiest days of his life. They had fought hard to make it to this point, and he was grateful for the chance to spend the rest of his life with her. Unfortunately, with the conference schedule and her work schedule the past week they hadn’t been able to talk as much as they would have liked, instead having to text each other throughout the day. Even though it was only a week, he missed her.

That was why he had decided that he didn’t need to stay for the last day of the conference. Instead of sticking around the next day for the bunch and networking portion, he decided to fly home early. He would get home in the middle of the night, but it was well worth it to be able to sleep in his own bed with her in his arms.

Thankfully, the flight home was uneventful and since it was so late, the traffic back to the house wasn’t bad. He knew that she would be asleep when he got home, but it didn’t matter. He had missed having her beside him the past few nights. He realized that he always slept better with her next to him. 

Neil quietly entered the house, leaving his keys and shoes by the door. He walked towards their bedroom guided by the moonlight. He couldn’t help but smile as he entered the room and noticed Claire sound asleep. A sense of peace settled over him now that he was back home. She was sleeping on his side of the bed, her arms wrapped around his pillow. He stood for a few minutes watching her. His married friends had told him that things would change between them once they were married, but he disagreed. He couldn’t imagine not being excited to see her and spend time with her.

Claire didn’t stir as he walked further into the bedroom. He grabbed a change of clothes to take a quick shower before climbing into bed beside her. He had to decide if he wanted to wake her up and risk her wrath, or if he should just sleep on her side of the bed. He showered quickly as his desire to have her back in his arms became overwhelming.

As he stepped over to the sink to brush his teeth, his heart skipped a beat when he noticed the pregnancy test sitting beside the toothpaste. He glanced back towards their bedroom and wondered why Claire hadn’t told him she thought she could be pregnant. He thought about how she had been feeling before he had left. She had blamed the exhaustion and nausea on fighting off a stomach bug. His hand shook slightly as he picked up the box. It was still unopened. He wondered why she hadn’t taken a blood test at the hospital. He placed the box back in its spot and finished brushing his teeth. The exhaustion he had felt coming home disappeared and was replaced by excitement. He knew he was going to have to wake her up.

He walked back into the bedroom and leaned over her. He gently caressed her arm, hoping it would wake her. Claire was generally cranky if she was woken up, but he hoped that she wouldn’t mind since he was home. He leaned down and gently pressed a kiss to her forehead, smiling when she stirred.

Her eyes opened slowly, “Neil?”

He took in the exhaustion he could see in her face as she looked up at him. Despite his excitement, he felt guilty for waking her. She slowly let go of his pillow and slid over so he could climb in the bed. As soon as he had settled in beside her, she moved to rest her head against his chest, her arm wrapping around him. He pulled her closer.

“Are you okay?” he asked softly, wondering if she would tell him about the test he saw in the bathroom.

She nodded against him. “Better now that you’re here.” 

He ran his hand against her back. “I saw the pregnancy test,” he whispered unable to hide his excitement.

“I think I might be pregnant,” she mumbled against him. “I didn’t want to take the test without you.”

Not that he really thought she would be hiding something from him, but he was glad to hear that she wanted him to be with her. 

“I’m here now.”

“I love you Neil, but if you make me get out of bed right now, I may have to divorce you.”

“We can’t have that,” he fought back a smile, knowing that there was no risk of her following through with her threat. “We can wait until morning.”

“I love you,” she said.

“I love you too.”

He held her as she fell back asleep. He thought about all the possibilities of what their life would look like if she was pregnant. He had always wanted a family, and he knew that the reason that it had never happened before was because he was meant to have one with her. They had talked about having children many times even before they had gotten married. He knew all her fears about being a mother and tried his best to support her. As he finally drifted off to sleep, he couldn’t wait to find out if their dreams were coming true.

Neil startled awake when he felt Claire moving away from him. He wrapped his arm around her waist and tried to pull her closer.

“Neil,” she said, trying to move away again. “If you don’t let me up, I’m going to throw up on you.”

He frowned as moved his arm off her, “Are you okay?” he asked as she got up and rushed to the bathroom.

As he remembered the pregnancy test he saw on the counter earlier, he got out of bed and followed behind her. He cringed as he heard her getting sick. He knelt beside her and placed one hand against her back and swept her hair back with his other hand. He continued rubbing her back until she was finished throwing up. Once she was finished, she leaned back against him and rested her head against his shoulder.

“Has this been happening all week?” he asked softly, wrapping his arm around her.

She nodded against him. “It’s gotten worse the past few days.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“It wouldn’t have helped anything. You would’ve just been worrying from the conference.”

“I could’ve come home earlier.” He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “You didn’t have to be doing this alone.”

She sighed. “I thought at first that I caught something at the hospital, but I realized yesterday that I could be pregnant. I almost did a blood test but decided to get this test instead.”

“Why didn’t you do it at the hospital?” he asked as they both stood up. He placed his hand against her arm to make sure she was steady.

“If anyone realized I was taking a pregnancy test, you’d know about it before I could tell you.” She reached out to caress his face. “I wanted us to find out together.”

“I’d much rather find out like this,” he said smiling. “How are you feeling?”

She made a face. “Nauseous, but not like I’m going to get sick right now.” She brushed her teeth.

He took her hand. “Let me make you some tea.”

She squeezed his hand. “And I’ll take the test. I won’t look at it until you get back.”

He pressed a kiss against her forehead, checking her temperature, just to be sure. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

He reluctantly left her in the bathroom to go make some tea. He felt a buzz of excitement and nervousness. In a few minutes their whole lives could change. As he fixed the tea, he thought about what their next steps would need to be if the test was positive. She would need to get it confirmed at the hospital, and he hoped that they would be able to keep it among themselves for now. He sighed as he realized he was getting ahead of himself. Finally, once the tea was ready, he headed back to the bathroom.

He placed the tea on the counter and looked at her, the test in her hand.

“Ready?” she asked.

He nodded as she moved to stand next to him so they could look at the test together. His breath caught and his eyes filled with tears as he saw the word pregnant on the test.

“I’m pregnant,” she said softly, tears filling her eyes.

Claire placed the test on the counter and launched herself into his arms. He kept his arms tightly around her and held her close to him. They were going to be adding to their family. It was one of the happiest moments of his life.

She moved away from him, wiping at her eyes, a large smile on her face. He was sure he wore a matching smile. 

She reached out for the tea and brought it up to her mouth. She scrunched her nose up in disgust, “No,” she said shaking her head and placing it back on the counter. He frowned. “I’m going to be sick if I drink that.”

“You need to drink something.”

He could see the amusement in her eyes. “You’re going to drive me crazy, aren’t you?”

“Probably,” he said with a smile. “Whatever I can do to help make you feel better.” He brought his hand up to her face. “What do you need right now?”

She sighed. “Can we go back to bed?”

“Whatever you want.”

She moved to wrap her arms around his waist and looked up at him. “That’s a very dangerous thing to say.”

“You know I mean it.”

“Which is why I won’t take advantage of it.” She took his hand and pulled him towards their bedroom.

They settled back into bed together, Claire resting her head against his chest as he gently ran his fingers against her arm.

“What are you thinking?” he asked softly.

“I’m really happy,” she said.

“Me too.”

“Scared too,” she admitted. 

He knew from previous conversations that she worried about what kind of mother she would be considering she didn’t have the best role model. He knew that she had conversations with her therapist about her fears. He tried to do his best to convince her that she would be a fantastic mother. He had no doubt that their child would be the most loved and cherished child. However, if he was honest, he had fears as well.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not right now,” she said. “Do you want a girl or a boy?”

“I just want our child to be healthy.”

“So do I.” She snuggled closer to him. “Your mother has warned me that you were a little terror as a child.”

He laughed. “I’m sure she exaggerates.”

“I don’t know, she’s not the only one whose told me stories.”

He knew that Audrey and Aaron had filled Claire in on his crazier days as a resident and both of his parents had shared how he was a handful when he was younger. He was sure his mother would think it was karma if his child behaved the same. He couldn’t wait to see what their child would be like. He hoped they took after Claire. 

She sighed against him. “I’ll make a doctors’ appointment later. I just want to sleep now.”

He knew she was off for the day and since he technically was still supposed to be at the conference, he didn’t need to worry about going in either. Instead, he planned on staying with her in bed for as long as she wanted. Thinking about their future, they both fell back asleep in each other’s arms.


	2. Chapter Two

Neil’s hands shook as he opened the door to the gallery. He had lost patients before, but this one had hit too close to home, leaving him with the overwhelming urge to see Claire. Both his patient and her husband had realized the risks of the surgery but knew that without the surgery there was no chance of survival. She had been five months pregnant. He could still see the devastation on her husband’s face when he had to tell him that she hadn’t survived. All he could think about was if something happened to Claire and their baby.

He had seen Audrey after speaking to his patient’s family and she must have realized what he was thinking, and she had told him that Claire was still in surgery. He had headed to the gallery so that he could see her. He didn’t want to distract her from her job, but since he couldn’t hold her in his arms now, this would have to do. He stood at the glass looking down, finding her easily.

Neil took a few steadying breaths as he watched her. He took comfort in the ease with which she operated and dealt with those around her. At six months pregnant, she had begun to be more particular about which surgeries she would do. She didn’t want to do any overly strenuous surgeries or anything that would be too taxing on her body. As she told him often, she knew what she could handle and would never do anything to put the baby in danger. He trusted her, even if he still worried.

The first few months of her pregnancy had been difficult. The morning sickness and exhaustion had been relentless for her. And he had hated feeling helpless, watching as she suffered. He tried to be supportive and knew he overcompensated. They had a few arguments about him being too overprotective. He had tried to convince her to take time off on the days when she seemed miserable, but she always told him she knew her body better than he did, and she was fine. Both of them were relieved when the morning sickness passed. He knew she had hoped he would stop worrying about her, but as he had told her numerous times it wasn’t possible.

He sat down on the bench, keeping his eyes on her. He thought back to the day they found out if they were having a boy or a girl.

_They had both been excited for the appointment because if the baby cooperated, they would find out the sex. Unfortunately, Neil had been called into an emergency surgery and would have to miss the appointment. Claire had offered to cancel the appointment, but he had wanted her to still go. As much as he wanted to be with her, he thought it was more important to make sure that her and the baby were fine. With their work schedules and the doctor’s busy schedule it was hard enough to make an appointment._

_The emergency surgery had taken three hours and was a success. He was still cranky that he had to miss out on the appointment but was trying to remain professional. He had run into Audrey who had let him know that Claire was waiting for him up in his office._

_As he had walked through the door, he couldn’t help but smile when he saw Claire sitting at his desk scrolling through a tablet._

_“Hey,” he said, “I’m so sorry.”_

_“It’s fine, as long as it doesn’t happen when I have the baby.”_

_“I think everyone here knows better than that.”_

_She smiled as she stood up and walked towards him._

_“How’d it go?” he asked._

_“Everything’s perfect.”_

_“Good,” he said softly. “Were you about to find out?”_

_“Yes and no.”_

_He frowned. “I don’t understand.”_

_She rested her hand against her stomach. “The baby cooperated, and the doctor knows.” She handed him an envelope. “I had her put the sonogram in here. I didn’t want to find out without you.”_

_He pulled her into his arms. “Thank you,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to her temple. “I love you.”_

_“I love you too.”_

_He kept her in his arms for a moment, grateful that he hadn’t missed out on this milestone with her and that she had wanted them to share it together. She stepped out of his arms and he handed her the envelope back to open. She opened it and they both looked at it together. They were having a girl._

_He first ran his fingers against the picture of their daughter before resting his hand against her stomach. He felt overwhelmed knowing that they were having a little girl. Even with all the previous sonograms and doctors’ appointments, knowing that the baby was girl made it seem even more real._

He was pulled from his memories as the gallery door opened. He glanced down and realized that he had been so lost in his thoughts that the surgery was over. He looked over as Claire came to sit beside him. She reached for his hand and rested her head against his shoulder.

“I saw Audrey,” she said softly. “I’m so sorry.”

He wrapped his arm around her hand drew her closer to him. Even though they had been together for years, they still worked to maintain a level of professionalism at work. It was rare that they allowed themselves to indulge in any PDA. Comforting each other after a lost of a patient was one of the few times, they allowed it, although they still tried to be mindful of who was around.

He focused on the feeling of her beside him and on each part of his body that was pressed up against hers. He didn’t trust himself to say anything to her yet. He felt as if he had little control of his emotions and needed to keep himself together until later. As always, Claire seemed to realize exactly what he needed. She reached over and took his other hand and placed it against her stomach so he could feel the baby moving. He let out a shaky breath.

“I love you,” he said softly.

“I love you too.”

He rested his head against hers taking comfort in her presence. He groaned when his phone went off. He reluctantly moved away from her as he checked to see who was paging him.

“I have to go,” he sighed as he stood up. 

He held out his hand to help her up. As she stood up, she leaned forward and gave him a hug. He closed his eyes as he wrapped his arms around her, grateful for his amazing wife.

“I’ll see you later,” she said as they both left the gallery to continue with their day. 

The rest of his shift went by in a fog. He kept thinking about the husband he had to speak to earlier and how he had his whole life destroyed. Neil remembered the last time a case had such an impact, when his actions had left a child without a mother and a husband without his wife. Each time he lost a patient it affected him, but there were some that were harder than others. As soon as he was able to, he returned to his office to sit in silence.

As he sat at his desk, he picked up the framed picture of the most recent sonogram they had gotten a few days ago. He thought about hearing her heartbeat and seeing her on the screen. He tried to focus on their healthy daughter, but he kept thinking about the devastation from earlier. He knew he wouldn’t survive if something happened to Claire or the baby. He looked up when heard the door open. He was relieved to see Claire.

She walked in and closed the door behind her. She glanced around to make sure no one was in the lounge next door and then she walked to stand next to him. He reached out and took her hand pulling gently to get her to sit on his lap.

“Come here.”

She frowned. “We might break your chair.”

“Please,” he said softly, tugging her close.

She gently sat down, and he was finally able to hold. He wrapped one arm around her waist to keep her steady and placed his hand against her stomach. She rested her head against his chest. He knew that anyone could see them together, but his desire to know that she was okay overrode anything else. She placed her hand over his heart.

“What do you need?” she asked. 

“Just this.”

He felt the emotions of the day overwhelming him as he drew her closer. She adjusted his hand against her stomach so he could feel the baby kick. He rested his head against hers.

“I can’t lose you,” he whispered.

“You won’t,” she said. 

“Claire,” he started.

She lifted her head off his shoulder so she could look at him.

“Neil, they were given an impossible choice. They understood the risks. It’s heartbreaking.” She reached up and wiped away the tears he hadn’t even realized had fallen. “The baby and I are fine. I’m not going to tell you not to worry because I know you will. I worry about you too. We need you just as much.”

“I know,” he sighed. “Having to tell him today just hurt in a way I wasn’t expecting.”

“You saw yourself in him,” she said softly. “He lost his pregnant wife.” He pulled her closer. “You’re stuck with me for a long time.”

“Good.”

“I love you,” she said, making a face, “But this is not comfortable.”

He frowned as she carefully stood. “I’m sorry.”

She rubbed her hand against her back. “It’s okay. It’s not your fault.” She glanced down at her stomach and then back to him with a smile. “Actually, it is.” 

He laughed as he stood up, taking her hand in his.

“Let’s go home. “We can lay down together and continue working on that list of baby names.”

He squeezed her hand. “You mean you can continue to veto every name I suggest.”

“Start picking better names.,” she said with a smile.

“I’ll try.”

They walked out of his office hand in hand. He was so grateful that he had her by his side. He looked forward to spending the evening with her by his side.


	3. Chapter Three

Neil looked around the house at the destruction caused by the baby shower. His mother had been adamant that they needed to have one with all their family. She suggested they have it at the house so they wouldn’t have to transport any of the presents. Claire was less thrilled by the idea, but as always, she went along with what his mother had wanted. She did however, have two conditions for the shower, that Gabbi had to be invited and that he would stay. His mother hadn’t fought him. He realized that this would be the first time, other than his wedding, that Gabbi would be included.

His parents had gotten to the house early to decorate, while Claire and he went to pick up Gabbi. She was excited about coming to the party, and as always was happy to see Claire. He loved how well the two of them got along. When they had gotten back to the house, all of them were a little overwhelmed by how much his parents had decorated. He had seen the horror on Claire’s face at just how pink everything was. As they went to talk to his parents, she had whispered that she now wanted a strawberry milkshake. He had offered to get her one, but she had taken his hand telling him he had to stay.

He knew how much she hated to be the center of attention, but she realized that this was something his mother had wanted to do for them. He kept a close eye on her so that they could see when his family was a little too overbearing. Their friends from the hospital were planning a much smaller celebration before she left for maternity leave.

Neil did his best to stay by her side, but some members of his family thought he didn’t belong at the shower and would try to talk to Claire alone. He tried to be close by in case she needed him. He also kept an eye on Gabbi to make sure that she wasn’t overwhelmed by all the people talking to her and around her. He had reminded her that she could go into the room they had set up for her if it got to be too much.

It took a while to open all the presents. Their daughter had more clothes and toys then she would ever be able to use. He was grateful to all the family for caring so much about her. As everyone finally started leaving, Claire had taken Gabbi to see the baby’s room. He had started to help his mother clean up. She had stopped him and told him that he was very lucky. She realized that Claire didn’t really want to do the baby shower, but she did it for her. She also mentioned how well Claire and Gabbi got alone. To his surprise she offered to take Gabbi back home, so that he and Claire could rest.

Once they were gone, Claire had sat down on the couch exhausted. There was still a lot more to clean up, but she called for him to come sit with her.

She looked around at all the presents. “I can’t believe how much stuff she has.”

“Or how much pink there is,” he added.

She sighed. “We have to put it all away.”

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her towards him. “I think you mean I have to put away.”

“I can help.”

“You can direct me where to put it.” He would much rather her rest and let him take care of everything.

“I can do that.” She rested her head against his shoulder. “It wasn’t as bad as I expected, but we don’t need to do this for the next kid.”

He smiled. “Thinking ahead?”

“It won’t be for a while though.”

He loved having a sister and he was glad that Claire and he were on the same page of giving their daughter a sibling.

She groaned, “I forgot, I have something for you, but I don’t want to move.”

“I’ll get it.”

“Thank you. It’s the yellow bag in the closet.”

She sat up so he could stand. He brushed a kiss against her forehead. He went to their room and found the yellow gift bag sitting in the closet. He was surprised that he hadn’t noticed it before. He went back to the living room and handed her the bag before sitting back down beside her.

“This is for you,” she said handing him the bag back. She rested her hand against her stomach. “Technically it’s for her.”

Curious, he moved the tissue paper out of the way and saw that there were onesies in the bag. He pulled out the first one and read, “My daddy is the second-best surgeon.”

“Second best?” he teased, “And who is the best?”

“Pull out the next one,” she said her eyes shining with amusement.

He pulled out the next one from the bag laughing as he read, “My mommy is the world’s best surgeon.”

“Is she?”

She shrugged as she fought back a grin.

“I’ll give it to you this time, but I might need to buy her a different one.”

“Doesn’t mean she’ll wear it.” She took it from him. “There’s more.”

He pulled out the next blue onesie that read “Trekkie The Next Generation.”

“I’m impressed,” he said.

“Don’t be, I just picked the first one I saw. You’re the dork in this family, not me.”

He reached out and placed his hand against her stomach. “We might be able to bring you over to our side.”

“Never,” she said laughing. “There’s one more.”

Shaking his head, he reached into the bag for the last one. He read, “My daddy is my hero.” He ran his fingers along the letters.

“Neil, she’s always going to believe that.”

“Thank you,” he said softly as he wiped away a tear. He reached out to pull her closer and kissed her. As happy as he was about them having a child, he sometimes worried that he wouldn’t be the best father. Having Claire’s support always helped to allay those fears.

“Do you think we should finish cleaning?” she asked.

“What do you mean we?”

“Let me try that again. Do you think I should watch you finish cleaning?”

“No,” he said with a grin. “I think we should educate you on Star Trek.”

She groaned. “Fine.”

Surprised that she agreed so quickly, he glanced down at her. “You’re only agreeing because you’re about to fall asleep on me, aren’t you?”

“Maybe,” she grinned. 

“Which do you want to watch?”

She snuggled closer to him. “Pick your favorite.”

“If you do fall asleep, I’m just going to have to make you watch it again.”

“That’s fine.”

She fell asleep within minutes of him turning on the show. He didn’t mind. He enjoyed having her beside him. In a few weeks they would have their daughter with them as well. He couldn’t wait.


	4. Chapter Four

Neil had thought that he was prepared for the birth of their daughter, but as he laid next to Claire as she held their daughter in her arms, he felt overwhelmed. He felt as if his heart would burst from the amount of love he felt for them both. Only a few hours old and already he knew he would do anything for her.

As always, he was in awe of Claire’s strength. She hadn’t told him when her contractions had first started, instead telling him to go to sleep after a difficult day of surgeries. They had earlier disagreements of him wanting to take days off around her due date and her preferring that he took the time after the baby was born. He should’ve noticed something was up when she didn’t want to come to bed with him. He blamed his exhaustion for not realizing it. He had gotten a few hours a sleep before she had come to wake him up as the contractions became more consistent.

He had been upset at first that she had hidden it from him, but as she gripped his arm as another contraction hit her, all he could focus on was making sure she was alright. He knew all the work fell to her, but he wanted to make sure he could do whatever he could to make it easier for her. When they got to the hospital, he did whatever she needed him to do. He had felt some relief when she got the epidural and the pain was less.

He found himself monitoring her vitals and worried when he noticed her blood pressure rising. When he mentioned it, she had rolled her eyes and told him she had plenty of doctors, she needed him to be her husband. He continued to watch but didn’t say anything to her. He hated that so much was out of his control and as a doctor he was aware of everything that could go wrong. There were a few moments when the doctors discussed the possibility of a c-section, when they noticed what he had about her blood pressure. Thankfully that wasn’t necessary as their daughter finally made her arrival.

His hands shook as he cut the cord and the doctors took her to assess her. He had kissed Claire, before she told him to go to the baby and make sure everything was okay. Once they had cleaned her up and finished their assessments, they had placed her in Claire’s waiting arms. The rest was blur as he joined Claire by the bed as they both looked at their perfect daughter. After a lot of discussion, they had settled on the name Liliana Clarisa, deciding to call her Lili for short.

Now, they shared the bed as they whispered together trying to figure out who she looked more like. He reached out and gently ran his finger against her cheek, laughing as she scrunched up her nose.

“She looks like her mommy making that face.”

“I don’t do that.”

“You do when I have to wake you up.”

Claire smiled at him. “Maybe that will mean she’ll like sleep as much as I do and won’t be an early riser like her daddy.”

“If she is, then I’ll get to spend some extra time with her,” he pressed a kiss against her shoulder. “Let you sleep in.”

Claire yawned. “Sleep sounds good.”

“I can take her so you can rest.”

She glanced down at Liliana. “I think your daddy’s jealous that I’m holding you.” She gently ran her fingers against the baby’s hand. “Do you think we should let him have another turn?” She looked up at him.

Neil sat up so he could carefully take the baby from Claire. She whimpered a little as he moved her, but quickly settled back down. He felt another wave of overwhelming love for the little girl in his arms. He had wanted the chance to be a father for so long, and now that their daughter was here, he realized it was worth the wait.

Claire shook her head. “Already a daddy’s girl.”

He settled back down next to her so that they could both look at their daughter. He knew Claire was exhausted, but understood that she didn’t want to miss a second with Lili. She rested her head against his shoulder to get a better look.

“Did you call your parents?” she asked softly.

“Not yet.”

“Neil,” she started.

“I’ll call them later. I want some time with just the three of us.”

“The three of us. I like the sound of that.”

They both continued to look at their daughter. Neil found himself memorizing every inch of her. He would do everything in his power to make sure that Lili never knew the pain that him and Claire knew growing up. He startled when he heard Claire sniffle.

Turning to her, he saw that she was crying.

“What’s wrong?” he asked concerned. His eyes drifted back to her vitals to make sure she was alright.

“I’m fine,” she said, as more tears fell.

Making sure Lili was secure in his arms, he reached out to wipe away her tears.

“This doesn’t look fine,” he whispered. “Talk to me.”

“I promise you, I’m fine,” she said wiping at her eyes. “Just watching you holding her, and it just,” she sighed. “I’m really happy and everything is just a little overwhelming.”

He sat up so he could carefully switch Lili to his other arm. He laid back down beside Claire and wrapped his arm around her as she rested her head against his chest. 

He pressed a kiss against the top of her head. “As long as you’re alright.”

“I promise you they’re happy tears.” She reached her arm across from his to take Lili’s hand in hers. “She’s perfect.”

He pulled her closer to him. “Takes after her mother.”

“She’s going to be her own amazing self.”

He knew he should let his parents know that their granddaughter had arrived, but he was too happy to mess with the bubble they had created for themselves. He knew eventually the others would come to see the baby, but for now he was content for it to be just the three of them. He had the two most important people in his life in his arms.


	5. Chapter Five

Neil sat at his desk in his office staring at the picture of Claire and Lili he had placed there when he returned to work. Claire had a few more weeks left of maternity leave, and he had returned to the hospital. He had plenty of time saved up that he could have stayed home longer, but considering the hospital was down two surgeons with them both out, he had compromised and came back part time.

He realized that he may be a little biased, but he thought Lili was the perfect baby. With her cheerful disposition, she most definitely took after Claire. Lili was happiest when she was either in Claire’s arms or his. His mother told them that they were spoiling her, but neither one of them cared too much. They enjoyed holding her as much as she enjoyed being held. She had her moments where they struggled to figure out why she was crying, but overall, she was quiet, taking in the world around her. 

He had enjoyed his time home with both of them and had struggled with going back to work. He knew that he was going to be even worse when Claire returned as well. His mother would watch Lili until she was old enough to come to the hospital daycare. Claire and he had discussed working opposite shifts so that one of them would always be home with Lili, but decided against it since they would rarely have time together. It would take some time to figure it out, but he knew they would be able to work out what was best for all of them.

He was supposed to be looking at the test results for one of his patients, but was instead thinking about calling Claire to check in. He would text first to make sure it was a good time, not wanting to call and wake up Lili. He looked up as Audrey knocked on his door. He motioned for her to come in. She walked over and sat down in the chair I front of his desk.

“Can I ask you a favor?”

“Depends on the favor.”

“I was wondering if you would talk to one of our patients,” she said handing him the file.

“Why?”

“She needs surgery, but her and her husband are refusing to have anyone, but Claire take care of her,” she sighed. “Apparently, she operated on her husband a few years ago and made quite the impression.”

He frowned. “What do you want me to do?”

“I was hoping that you could talk to them. Tell them your Claire’s husband. Maybe then they will agree to let you do the surgery.”

He leaned back in his chair amused. “The hospital that made it nearly impossible for us to be together, now wants to use our marriage.”

He thought back to the early days of their relationship after the earthquake and his recovery. It was a testament to their love and strength that they hadn’t let the gossip destroy them. Instead of focusing on that time, he glanced down at the picture on his desk. Everything had been worth it.

“She needs the surgery. I thought it would be better to come to you, then for someone to suggest bringing Claire in.”

“I’ll do it,” he said. “But I’m going to call her first. She might have some suggestions on how to deal with them.”

“Thank you,” she said as she left.

He texted Claire to see if she was available to talk. He didn’t think she would mind him doing the surgery, but he wanted to let her know what was going on. He knew she would enjoy the fact that they were using their marriage to help a patient. He smiled when he saw she was using the video app to call.

“Hey,” he said, unable to stop from smiling when he saw them both.

“Hi,” she smiled. “I was just telling Lili that you must miss us.”

“Absolutely,” he agreed. “But I also needed to talk to you about a patient.”

“Need some of my brilliance?” she teased.

“Always,” he glanced at the paperwork. “Do you remember a Melissa Jones? You operated on her husband Theodore.” 

He glanced down at Lili as Claire tried to remember. She was snuggled close to Claire. He once again wished that he was by their side.

“Do you mean Teddy? He needed a valve replacement.” she asked. “That was almost two years ago.”

“How do you remember that?”

“It was right around when we got engaged,” she said. “His wife noticed my ring and asked me about you. We had a nice talk about how they had known that they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. They had been married for forty years. She was so worried about him. What’s going on? Does he need another surgery?”

He shook his head, “No his wife does. They are refusing treatment because they want you to do it.”

“That’s sweet, but I can’t.”

He had to admit that he was relieved to hear her say that. Part of him worried that she might try to come back before she was ready to help a patient.

“Audrey wants me to talk to them. See if they will let me do it, since I’m your husband.”

He saw the amusement in her eyes. “And all this time people were worried that I was using you.”

“There are worse things then being known as Dr. Browne’s husband.”

She smiled at him. “If that’s not enough for them, feel free to call me for backup. I’m sure once they see Lili they’ll agree.”

He spoke with her for a few more minutes as he explained what the surgical plan was, and she agreed with what they wanted to do. She again told him to call back if he needed her since Lili was asleep in her arms. Telling them both he loved them, he hung up and made his way to the patient’s room.

He knocked on the door before entering and introducing himself.

“You’re not Dr. Browne,” Theodore said.

“She’s unavailable, but I spoke with her. She agrees with our plan.”

“Why can’t she do it?”

“She’s on maternity leave.”

Melissa smiled. “Oh, that’s wonderful.”

Theodore crossed his arms. “Does Dr. Browne trust you?”

“Yes,” he answered. “She did marry me.”

“Teddy,” Melissa reached out for his hand. “I remember when we were here for you, she had just gotten engaged.” She looked over to Neil. “She just lit up taking about her future husband. I’m assuming that was you.”

He laughed. “Yes, that was me. I’m a very lucky man.”

“I trust you,” she said. “You can do the surgery.”

Her husband shook his head. “That’s not good enough. No offense, Dr. Melendez,” he said as he glanced over to his wife. “Smart women don’t always marry the best men.”

Melissa rolled her eyes. “We’ve been married over forty years, I think I picked the right one.”

Neil smiled watching them. “If it makes you feel better, I can call Dr. Browne and let you speak to her.”

“Don’t you dare disturb her and the baby.”

“Please do,” Theodore said.

Neil looked to Melissa. “I spoke with her before I came here, she was the one to suggest calling her. It will give her a chance to show you our daughter, Lili.”

“Thank you.”

He called Claire back on the video app, smiling when he saw Lili still in her arms. This time she was awake. He explained where he was and handed them the phone so they could talk to her. He stood back as he listened to them. He felt the familiar surge of pride whenever any one else realized her talent as a doctor. He realized just how much of an impression she had left on them both as he listened to them talk. She told them the same thing he did about what to expect but coming from her they agreed. He fought back a grin when he heard her tell them that she absolutely trusted him with the surgery and that he was the best surgeon she’d ever worked with. He knew when she had turned the camera onto to Lili when Melissa started gushing about how adorable she was.

He took the phone back after they were finished talking. He stepped out into the hallway to say goodbye.

“Thank you,” he said.

“You’re welcome. It was nice to see them again.” She smiled. “And always nice to get a chance to brag about you.”

“And here I was thinking how I was happy they realized how amazing you are.”

She rolled her eyes. “You don’t need to flatter me, you already have me.”

“It’s not just flattery when it’s true. I love you.”

“I love you too. Now get back to work Dr. Melendez.”

He laughed as he hung up. He went back into the room to make sure they were all ready for the surgery.

“Your daughter is beautiful,” Melissa said.

“Thank you.” He stepped closer looking at them both. “Do you feel more comfortable with the procedure now?”

“If Dr. Browne trusts you, then I’m good,” Theodore answered as Melissa nodded.

They went through what to expect and Neil left to go get ready for surgery. Thankfully everything went smoothly, and the surgery was over quickly. Neil went back to his office to finish some paperwork and review some test results. He stopped by Melissa’s room to check on her before heading home.

As he entered the room, he noticed that she was sleeping with her husband reading in the chair beside her bed. He checked her vitals and was pleased to see that everything was looking as well as expected.

“I’m surprised your not home with that lovely wife and daughter yet.”

He smiled. “I’m leaving soon, but I know the first thing she’ll ask me is how Melissa’s doing.”

“I apologize for doubting you,” Theodore said softly. “She’s my whole world and I needed to make sure she was getting the best care. Dr. Browne took such good care of me and Melissa, when I had my surgery that I wanted her to get the same treatment.”

“I understand. Dr. Browne is incredible.”

“Go home and enjoy your family.”

“Thank you,” Neil said. “I’ll be in tomorrow to check on you both.”

He finished up and headed home. He had texted Claire when he left but knew since she didn’t answer she was either busy with Lili or they had both fallen asleep. He entered the house quietly, smiling as he entered the living room and found Claire asleep on the sofa, with Lili in the bassinet next to her. She had her hand resting against Lili’s stomach as she slept.

He moved closer to see them both. Even though Lili was asleep, he thought about picking her up to hold her. He reached into the bassinet and gently touched her face, causing her to move. Her movement woke Claire up, and she sat up with a yawn.

“How’d it go?” she asked, reaching out her hand for his. He allowed her to pull him to the sofa to sit beside her. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close.

“Everything went fine. She was asleep when I checked on her. Her vitals are good.”

She rested her head against his shoulder. “I kind of like the fact that you needed me today.”

He kissed her forehead. “I always need you.”

“I meant at work.”

As if she knew that they were cuddled together on the sofa without her, Lili let out a cry. Moving away from Claire, Neil sat up and looked in on her. He laughed when he noticed that Claire had dressed her in onesie saying that her mommy was the best surgeon. He picked Lili up and sat back to let Claire lay against him.

“Was she wearing this all day, or did you change her after we needed you at work?”

“Her original outfit was covered in spit up, so this was the best one to change her into.”

“She’s not wrong,” he said as the three of them settled together on the sofa.

As he held their daughter and had Claire beside him, he was reminded once again of just how lucky he was. While it still felt wonderful to be able to help people at the hospital, having them in his arms was all he needed. 


	6. Chapter Six

The next year and a half flew by. Neil felt as if one second, they had a newborn and then suddenly she was crawling and walking around the house. Once she started walking, Lili was unstoppable and kept them on their toes. He loved every second he got to spend with his daughter but wished that time would slow down just a little. 

Lili attended the daycare at the hospital and just like Claire, everyone loved her. Neil teased her all the time that their daughter was her mini-me. Although he saw some of himself in her as well. Unfortunately, a week ago, a stomach virus had made its way through the day care, and Lili had been kind enough to share it with her parents. They had all been sick for days.

Lili never seemed to prefer one parent over the other even when she was sick. However, with this illness, she wanted whichever one of them seemed to be feeling worse at the moment. He and Claire had been miserable but fought through it to comfort their little girl. He hated being sick, but it was even worse seeing both of his girls sick. He especially felt bad for Claire who seemed to have it worse than he did. His parents had offered to come help them, but he didn’t want them to get sick as well.

He and Lili started to feel better first, but Claire’s symptoms lingered. While he thought it was adorable watching Lili try to care for Claire the way she did for her, he worried that she wasn’t feeling better. She tried to insist that she fine, but her exhaustion, never-ending nausea and vomiting told a different story. She had finally agreed to go to the doctor. He wasn’t sure if it was just so he would stop nagging her to go, or if she realized as well that she should be feeling better too.

They were both still off work, the hospital giving them plenty of time to make sure that they were healthy enough to return. He was grateful because between the virus and caring for Lili, he was still exhausted himself. As he waited for Claire to get back from the doctors, he sat on the floor building with Lili. She found it hilarious to knock down the towers that he would build. Her laughter was infectious. He could tell when she was ready for a nap because she climbed into his lap and rested her head against his chest. As always, he enjoyed holding his daughter close. He held her as she fell asleep, before moving to put her in her crib. He watched her for a few minutes to make sure she would stay asleep.

Grabbing the baby monitor, Neil shut the door and went back to the living room. He started cleaning up the blocks they had been playing with.

“You know Lili’s not going to be happy you’re playing without her,” Claire teased as she came in and sat on the sofa.

“I don’t think she’ll mind me cleaning up,” he smiled as he moved the container back where it belonged. “If she hadn’t fallen asleep, she would’ve helped me.”

They both laughed thinking about Lili’s idea of helping. She seemed to have inherited Neil’s desire for things to be organized but hadn’t quite figured out how to make it happen. She tended to either give the toys to whoever was closest to her for them to put away or she would throw them around making a bigger mess.

Neil moved to sit next to Claire on the sofa. “How’d it go?”

“I’m fine.”

He frowned. While he was glad that there was nothing wrong, he knew she wasn’t fine. He studied her face and could still see the exhaustion in her eyes, and that she was paler than usual.

“The doctor didn’t say anything?”

Ignoring his question, she handed him a bag. “I got you this to read with Lili.”

He took the bag from her. He wanted to ask her more about her appointment but decided to go along with her desire to not talk about it. As he pulled the book out and saw the title his heart skipped a beat.

“You’re pregnant?” he asked, glancing between her and the title of the book, “I’m A Big Sister.”

She nodded. “If Lili hadn’t gotten us sick, I would have realized it sooner.” 

He thought back to when she had been pregnant with Lili and how miserable she had been in the beginning. It made so much sense now why her symptoms were so much worse than his. He couldn’t believe that he hadn’t thought about the possibility either.

“A stomach virus and morning sickness.”

“Lucky me.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Just bad timing,” she took the book from his hands, and moved so she could lean against him. “The stomach bug, not the baby,” she clarified. “I’m very happy about that.”

“Me too.”

He wrapped his arm around her to pull her closer. They had discussed having another child but hadn’t planned on when they would add to their family.

“How are you feeling now?” he asked softly.

“The same,” she admitted, “Tired.”

He glanced over at the baby monitor at Lili sound asleep. “Why don’t you go take a nap?”

“Will you take one too?” she asked.

“Sure,” he said. “Here or in bed?”

She yawned. “Here. I don’t want to move.”

He smiled as he laid down on the sofa, bringing her to lay beside him. He wrapped his arms around her holding her close.

“Do you think Lili is going to like being a big sister?” she asked.

“Absolutely,” he answered.

“I think so too.” She snuggled closer against him. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

He held Claire as she fell asleep in his arms. He was excited to be adding to their family. He knew it would be an adjustment to have another child, but he couldn’t wait. He had everything that he had ever dreamed off. He didn’t know how he had gotten so lucky, and he couldn’t wait for them to start the next part of their journey together. He knew with Claire by his side it would be amazing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!! I really appreciate all of the feedback!


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